WORK2222: Leadership Reflection (20%)
Length: 1,000 words
A challenge for young and emerging leaders is learning from established leaders and growing their
leadership network. This assessment gives you an opportunity to learn from a leader in an industry
you are interested in learning more about, and possibly working in. This assessment challenges you
to step outside your comfort zone and arrange and implement a short interview with a professional
leader, and then write a leadership reflection on what you learned.
The task
Interview
1. Pair up with an “interview buddy” from your tutorial (ie another student in your WORK2222
tutorial). You will do this in tutorials in the course.
2. With your interview buddy, sit down and identify 3-5 potential interview candidates, who
you intend to contact about a potential interview for this task.
a. Potential interviewees may be based on your or your buddy’s own existing network,
or on an organisation or industry you are interested in engaging with. You can select
leaders from literally any (legal) organisation or industry – in Australia or around the
world. For example, your interviewee can work for a corporation, run their own
business, lead a group of volunteers, work in government, or for a not-for-profit or
union. The key requirement is that your interviewee must have recently (i.e.,
within the last 3 years) or currently be in a leadership role for a team or an
organisation (i.e., leading 2 or more people).
3. Contact potential interviewees about being interviewed. Explain the task to them.
4. From your list of potential interviewees, select ONE interviewee.
5. Arrange ONE 20-30 minute interview with your chosen interviewee. The interviews can be
face to face (we’d strongly recommend this for network building purposes – having a coffee
with them before/after the interview is always great!), but they can also be online if you or
they prefer that (or if the interviewee is overseas).
6. Prior to your interview, share the Interview Questions (see these below) with your
interviewee, so they have time to reflect on them. Be sure to tell your interviewee that you
will need to allocate about 10 minutes to each question (and no more than this). This is so
your interviewee understand the expectations regarding the time-frame for the interview.
7. Conduct the 20-30 minute interview (see pre-specified questions you need to ask, below).
You MUST video the interview (either film it (e.g., on your phone) if it’s in person, or video
record it if it’s in Teams/Zoom). All interviews must be conducted in English (so that your
tutor can view and comprehend your interview).
8. Upload the video recording of your interview into Canvas. [Your tutor will show you how to
do this].
Written reflection
9. Next, you must write a 1,000-word written Leadership Reflection. Your Leadership
Reflection must be your own, individual work (i.e., you must not write your Leadership
Reflection with your interview buddy). This must be submitted in Canvas by the due date
specified in Canvas.
10. Please note: You need to upload the video recording of your interview into Canvas, to be
eligible to have your Leadership Reflection marked.
Pre-Interview Preparation
Before the interview, thoroughly research the organisation your interviewee works in.
• What is your interviewee’s role within their organisation? What is their career history?
• What is the size/focus/key features of the organisation your interviewee works for? What
are the leadership challenges facing this organisation?
• What is the industry your interviewee’s organisation fits into? What are the strategic and
leadership challenges facing this industry?
Interview Questions
Here are the three questions you need to ask in your interview:
1. What are the top 1-2 strategic challenges facing your organisation and/or industry?
2. What kind of leadership is needed to address those strategic challenges?
3. Please tell us about your own personal leadership journey. What have been your 1-2 biggest
challenges and most defining moments? What have you learned from these as a leader?

Leadership Reflection
Your Leadership Reflection should be divided into three sections, as follows:
Section 1) Brief summary of your interview: Who was your interviewee, and which organisation /
industry do they work in? What strategic challenges did your interviewee describe, and the
leadership needed to address these? What was their personal leadership journey and biggest
leadership lessons? (~300 words)
Section 2) Your learnings: What did you learn about leadership from your interview? What stood
out to you? How did your interviewee challenge or reinforce your ideas about what makes good
leadership? To what extent did your interview help to clarify your own leadership strengths,
purpose, or career direction? (~300 words)
Section 3) Application of course concepts: Pick one concept or theory from WORK2222 that relates
to what was discussed in your interview. To what extent does your chosen concept or theory provide
insight into your interviewees’ views on what makes an effective leader? How does your chosen
course concept or theory reinforce, extend, or even undermine, what your interviewee said in the
interview? You are encouraged to draw on relevant research evidence, linked to your chosen course
concept/theory, to support your arguments (~400 words)

Marking Rubric
Marking
criteria
Fail Pass Credit Distinction High
distinction
Analysis and
reflection (all
sections)
Very general
analysis of the
interview and self-
reflection that
displays no real
effort to engage
meaningfully with
the task, or a
General and / or
limited analysis
of the interview
and self-
reflection that is
acceptable but
demonstrates a
limited level of
insight.
Reasonable
analysis of the
interview and
self-reflection
that
demonstrates
good insight in
places.
Demonstrates
clear and
insightful
analysis of the
interview, and
self-reflection
that is very
insightful.
Provides highly
insightful
analysis of the
interview and
self-reflection
that is
perceptive,
specific, and
authentic.
misunderstanding
of the task.
Use of
leadership
theories and
evidence
(Section 3)
No or very
ineffective use of
leadership theory
to inform
discussion; or
incorrect use of
leadership theories
that demonstrates
a lack of
understanding of
the content.
Ineffective use of
evidence to support
arguments.
Generic use of
leadership
theory that
demonstrates
limited
understanding of
the theory and
its application to
the interview.
Limited use of
academic
evidence to
support
arguments.
Good use of
leadership
theory to
highlight key
insights from the
interview,
though could be
more nuanced in
some places.
Good use of
academic
evidence to
support
arguments.
Very good use of
leadership
theory to
provide insight
into the
leadership
interview, doing
so in an
integrated way.
Very good use of
academic
evidence to
support
arguments.
Outstanding use
of leadership
theory to
inform the
discussion,
doing so in an
integrated way,
including a
critical
evaluation of
the theoretical
perspective
used.
Excellent use of
academic
evidence to
support
arguments.
Structure (all
sections)
Poorly structured
arguments that are
difficult to follow.
Mostly well-
structured
arguments,
though contains
some logical
inconsistencies.
Generally well-
structured
arguments, with
a mostly clear
logical flow.
Well- structured
arguments, with
a clear logical
flow.
Extremely well-
constructed
arguments, with
a very clear
logical flow.
Expression,
spelling, and
grammar
(all sections)
Poor spelling,
grammar and word-
use that makes it
very difficult to
comprehend the
key ideas in the
response
Acceptable
spelling,
grammar and
word-use but
contains errors
and awkward
phrasing in
multiple places.
Mostly clear
expression and
generally good
spelling and
grammar,
though with
some errors.
Very good
written
expression, with
only a few minor
errors.
Highly lucid and
incisive written
expression.